Arriving for our missions trip in the Dominican Republic - Spring Break 2012
Sunday March 25, 2012
Although we arrived in the Dominican Republic on Saturday, today was our first full day here. It was our first experience with the people from S. Pedro de Macoris.Sunday morning we went to the local church, Buen Pastor. On the way, we passed the homes of the townspeople and for the first time, really got an idea of the poverty these people are living in. Even the horses and stray dogs looked tired and hungry. It made us all realize how blessed we are and how happy we are to be able to help those in need. Alejandra brought attention to how guilty she felt for wanting everything she wants after seeing the poverty these people live in. Once we arrived at the church, Deacon Cecily was asked to preach only a couple of minutes before the 9:30am service, but the holy spirit filled her and gave her the knowledge of what to do and say in her address to the congregation. She spoke beautifully of being able to speak to one another through our eyes and emotions even with the language barrier. A perfect example of this was when a couple of the children from the town came and delivered Franki and I ( Kim) pictures they had drawn for us. We hadn't even done any work here yet, but it was so obvious how happy they were to see us and how much they appreciated us being here to help them.
Later in the day, we took a trip to the nearby beach. The water was a beautiful clear blue and the hot sun was shining upon us. Elizabeth described the waves by comparing them to a game, in which everyone waits for the waves to pick you up and then they gently bring you back down. Coming from many diverse backgrounds, the day at the beach gave us an opportunity to really start to get to know one another. Deacon Cecily's favorite part of the day was watching us all bond.
Later in the day, we took a trip to the nearby beach. The water was a beautiful clear blue and the hot sun was shining upon us. Elizabeth described the waves by comparing them to a game, in which everyone waits for the waves to pick you up and then they gently bring you back down. Coming from many diverse backgrounds, the day at the beach gave us an opportunity to really start to get to know one another. Deacon Cecily's favorite part of the day was watching us all bond.